Means for viewing impressions on a moving web



Dec. 13, 1938-. I J, HORTON I 2,140,402

MEANS FOR VIEWiNG lMPRESSIONS ON A MOViNG WEB Filed Sept. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2. film INVENTOR Dec. 13, 1938. A. J. HOR'VI'ON 2,140,402

MEANS FOR VIEWING IMPRESSIONS ON A MOVING WEB Filed Sept. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /z a2 c '46 a? n I.

i e 'lgu iii INVENTOR Patented Dec, 13, 1938' PATENT OFFICE DIEAN S FOR VIEWING IMPRESSIONS ON A MOVING WEB Albert J. Horton, White Plains, N. Y., assignor,

by mesne assignments,

to R. Hoe & 00., Inc.,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 8, 1934, Serial No. 743,214

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a means for viewing and checking the registration of a plurality of printed impressions on a web and is particularly adapted for use in checking the alignment; or

registration of a plurality of printed impressions on the running web of a printing machine in which the printed web is rewound on a roll.

In the ordinary process of printing on a web, the web is cut and folded after printing and a check of the printing registration is made periodically by inspecting individual copies of the printed material. According to the present practicewith certain printed matter, the printed Web will be rewound upon a roll after it leaves the printing machine, and with the web'traveling through the printing machine at high speed, an inspection of the registration of printed impressions cannot be made by direct observation of the moving web. Such work as multi-color printing for example, requiresthe accurate registration on the web of the impression from each of a number of printing cylinders with the impressions from the other printing cylinders, and as registration is affected by variation in the tension or run of the web, frequent inspection is required in order to produce printing of high quality.

According to this invention, means is provided whereby an inspection of the printed surface of the running web may be made by reflecting a particular portion of the printed matter 'or a registration mark to a stationary view-point, and arranging the reflecting member sothat it is adapted to reflect the mark on one portion of the printed material for an appreciable time period, then bring a similar point on a succeeding impression into view.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means whereby the registration of a plurality of printed impressions on a running web may be checked while the web is moving.

Another object is to provide a rotor which has a plurality of reflecting surfaces and which is adapted to be rotated to bring each of said refleeting surfaces into a posi ion to reflect a particular portion of the printed matter to a stationary view-point. I

Another object is to provide a movable reflecting member which is adapted to reflect a registration mark or printed portion on a moving web into' a telescope or similar magnifying member for an appreciable time period to thus allow sufficient time for observation to check the registration of the printed matter.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a means for use in checking the registration of printed impressions on a moving web which is simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efiicient in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

. which will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a diagrammatic side elevational view showing the run of a web through a multi-color printing machine having a plurality of cooperating printing couples and a rewinding roll, also reflecting and telescope members arranged in accordance with the invention and positioned above the path of the printed web;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic end view with parts broken away and parts shown in section taken in the direction of the arrow 3 on Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating the range within which one reflecting surface of the reflecting member is adapted to operate;

Figure 5 is an enlarged end view of the differential drive mechanism;

Figure 6 is a plan view showing an alternative arrangement in which a carriage with a reflecting rotor member is adapted to be moved transversely across the running web;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the lines 'I-'I of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a synchronous motor drive combined with a wiring diagram.

Referring to Figure 1, a web II is shown in an operating position in a rotogravure printing ,machine with said web passing from a web supply roll l2 over guide rolls l3 to an impression cylinder i4 and a form cylinder l5, to print one side of the web, then through a series of form and impression cylinders Ila and l5a. respectively, to receive a series of color impressions on the opposite side of the web, then passing over additional guide rolls l 3 to a rewinding roll l6. Compensating rolls are shown at H, which are adapted to be adjusted to maintain perfect registration of the printed impressions, in accordance with the usual practice. Provision is made for driving the rewinding roll l6 by an electric motor which isdrivingly connected to said roll by means of a worm 21 on the motor shaft, a worm wheel 25 driven by said worm and mounted on the shaft 26 of the roll I6.

Since the printed web is led directly to the rewinding roller Hi, the registration of the printed impressions cannot be made by inspecting finished copies of the printed sections. Means is therefore provided whereby a particular portion of the printed matter can be observed, through a reflecting medium while in motion, and the reflected image controlled so as to hold it in a stationary position for a certain period.

For the purpose of illustration let it be supposed that the portion of the printed matter to be inspected is a registration mark such as is indicated by the cross at I8, Figure 2, which will be printed by each of the form cylinders I411. As each of said form cylinders prints its particular color impression, each corresponding register mark will be printed in its particular color in a coinciding relation. If the compensating roll adjustments are set for the exact registration of printed impressions, the cross-mark willstand out in a clear and distinct manner as a single cross, but if the printed impressions are not in exact registration the cross-mark-will be blurred or a plurality of crosses will appear.

The means provided to observe the cross-marks includes a reflecting member or rotor I3, which has a plurality of reflecting surfaces 2| arranged upon the periphery thereof in the form of a prism, mounted on a rotatable shaft 22. Said shaft is supported in suitable bearings in the walls 23-23 of the machine frame, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3, and may be driven by means of a sprocket and chain drive 24 from one of the printing cylinders or any convenient rotating member that rotates in synchronism with the printing cylinders. A differential gear drive mechanism is provided on the reflecting member drive shaft 22, which comprises a pinion 28, driven by the sprocket and chain drive 24, and meshing with a pair of planetary gears 29. Said planetary gears are supported by a yoke 31 which is secured to the shaft 22, and they mesh with the gear teeth 32- of an internal gear 33. A worm wheel 34, forming the outside of the internal gear, has a worm 35 in mesh therewith which is adapted to be manually rotated to increase or decrease the speed of rotation of the planetary gears and thereby increase or decrease the rotation of the yoke 3| and reflecting member IS. The rotation of the worm 35 is controlled by means of a hand operated crank 36 at the end of a shaft 31, which shaft is secured to the worm 35 and is supported by suitable brackets 38 on the wall 23. By means of the manual rotation of the said worm wheel 34 to increase or decrease the speed of the reflecting member, an area of the web either ahead of or to the rear of the area. in view may be reflected to the viewpoint of the observer. Portions of the printed impressions including the registx marks may thus be observed or any other part of the web as desired.

A telescope 39 or other like means is provided to enlarge the reflected image of the printed impression and may be arranged in any suitable manner. In Figure 2, said telescope is shown as adjustably mounted upon a bracket 40 positioned between the side walls 2323 of the printing machine, the adjustment being provided by means of a bolt and slot connection with said bracket, as indicated at 45. When a registration mark is to be the particular point for observation,

the telescope is focused upon same through the reflecting member, then is secured in a fixed position on its mounting bracket.

In operation, an observer or an attendant may observe the condition of the printed impressions by focusing the telescope upon the registration mark through the reflecting member toobtain an enlarged view of said mark or he may scan the entire surface of the reflecting member to view a space across the entire web surface.

Referring to Figure 4, in which a diagrammatic representation of the reflecting features is shown, the line of sight of the telescope is indicated by the line 4|, and two lines of reflection are indicated at 42 and 43 which are further distinguished by their representation in dashed and dotted Iines respectively. Associated with each of said re-' fleeting lines is one reflecting surface of the reflecting member I9, in two respective reflecting positions designated at 42a and 43a, which also are further distinguished by lines of the same type as their associated lines of reflection, and are marked off as segments to clearly bring out the extremities of the reflecting surface.

The first position of the reflecting surface indicated at 42a and the line of reflection 42, is the position at which a cross-mark on the web will first appear in the telescope, the line of the telescope sight meeting the reflecting surface at a point just above its lower edge. As the crossmark moves with the moving web in the direction indicated by the arrow, the reflecting surface will be moved in a similar direction past the line of telescope sight 4|, until the other end of the reflecting surface reaches the telescope line of sight as designated at 43. The cross-mark is thus sighted as soon as the lower corner of a reflecting surface reaches the path of the line of telescope sight and remains in view as a stationary object until the next reflecting surface moves into the path of the line of telescope sight. It will thus be seen that, since the cross-marks are spaced apart on the web at distances which will bring a mark into sight immediately after the previously observed mark passes out of sight, the successive cross-marks appearing-in the telescope will appear practically as one single mark. In Figure 1, the line of reflection is shown perpendicular to the line of sight, which occurs when the line of sight reaches the mid-point on the reflecting surface.

In Figures 6, 7 and 8, an alternative arrangement is shown in which a reflecting member of reduced length is adapted to be moved transversely across the running web II and is connected in driving relation with the movement of the web preferably by means of a self-synchronous motor drive known to the trade as the Selsyn type. Said arrangement comprises a reflecting member 46 rotatably supported on a carriage 41, which carriage has a set of preferably pneumatic tired wheels 48 thereon to absorb vibration. Tracks 48-49 are suitably supported between the machine walls 2323, one of which tracks is shown as having a flat surface for the wheels 48 on one side of the carriage to ride upon, while the other is shown V shaped to provide a guide groove for the wheels on the opposite side of the carriage to ride in.

The synchronous drive for the reflecting member 46 includes a generator 5| and a motor 54 preferably of the said Selsyn type of which the generator 5| is adapted to be driven from some part of the machine drive while the motor 54 is connected in driving relation with the reflecting shown as driven by means of a belt or sprocket drive 52 from a drive shaft 53, preferably a printing cylinder shaft. The motor which drives the reflecting member comprises a stator indicated at 54a and a rotor 542). Electrical wiring connections from the current supply line L and L and the wiring between generator and motor are also included in Figure 8.

Said reflecting member driving motor 54 is suspended between brackets or arms 55-55 at one end of the carriage 41 and has a worm wheel 56 mounted on its periphery. The worm wheel is adapted to be rotated while the motor is running by means of a worm 51, through a hand operated crank 58, in a manner similar to the operation of the worm 35 through the crank 36 of the previously described structure, to modify the speed of the reflecting member, so as to bring into view an area ahead of or to the rear of the area in view. In the present structure, however, the stator of the motor is rotated, whereas in the previously described structure a differential is employed. A reduction drive is provided between the motor 54 and the reflecting member by means of a worm 59 on the motor shaft which meshes with a worm wheel 6| onthe reflector member shaft 50. r

A telescope 62 is mounted in a bracket 63, extending outward from the carriage 41, and is adapted to be moved with said carriage, when it is moved along the tracks +49, the bracket also providing suitable gripping means by which the carriage may be moved by an attendant. Any desirable means for carrying current into the motor 54 may be used, such as several turns of a cable on a sheave as indicated at 64 or a collector ring and brush arrangement, which is well known in the art, and any suitable take-up connection may be provided, such as by guiding said cable over a series of pulleys 66 supported on a bracket 61 and placing a take-up weight 58 in a loop in the cable. An illumining means, such as a lamp 59 indicated 'on' the lower surface of the carriage, Figure '7, may also be provided to illumlne the web area which is to be reflected to the telescope.

While the reflecting member and telescope have been shown above the machine in operative relation with a horizontally it will be understood that the same may be used in any other desirable position,

One versed in the art will readily understand that the (1 rice may be used in connection with a sh .et fed printing machineto observe the printing on sheets being forwarded successively by a conveyor which spaces them evenly, and that in order to avoid repetition, the word web as used herein is intended to include'sheets that have been cut from a web of paper or other material.

, It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present em- I bodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative'an'd not restrictive, reference being had to the claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What I claim is: i

'1. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web. each printing couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a pludisposed stretch of web,

' print rality of reflecting surfaces thereon,means supporting said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web is located and substantially within its lateral confines with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the planein which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a, fixed observation point the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder.

2. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web, eachprinting couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of light reflecting surfaces thereon, means supporting said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web is located with the reflecting surfaces of the rotor so located with relation to the web as to receive light rays from the impressions on the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a fixed observation point the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder.

3. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web, each printing coupling including a form cylinder andan impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of reflecting surfaces thereon,means supporting said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and substantially within its lateral confines with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, a telescope disposed in viewing relation to the reflecting surfaces, means operably connecting the printing machineand the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting urfaces continuously reflect to the telescope the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder.

4. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to successive impressions on a moving web, each printing couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of. reflectingsurfaces thereon, means supis located and substantially within its lateral I confines with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the said rotor reflecting surfaces being of such length with respect to the width of the web and the rotor so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to an observation point the images of impressions located at any point throughout the entire width of the moving web during the movement of said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder.

5. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web, each printing couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of reflecting surfaces thereon, means supporting the said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web is located and substantially within its lateral confines with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means to rotate said rotor in synchronous relation with the running web and including a generator driven by the printing couple, a self synchronous motor operably connected to said rotor and electrically connected with the generator, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a fixed observation point the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder.

6. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web, each printing couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of reflecting surfaces thereon, a telescope disposed in viewing relation to the reflecting surfaces, means located wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web' is located for operably supporting the reflecting rotor and telescope for bodily movement transversely of the moving web, the axis of the said rotor being substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a fixed observation point the images of the impressions durand an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of reflecting surfaces thereon, means supporting said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web is located and substantially within its lateral confines with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a fixed observation point the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder, and means to independently move the rotor to reflect images of other impressions on'the web.

8. In a printing machine including a plurality of printing couples constructed and arranged to print successive impressions on a moving web, each printing couple including a form cylinder and an impression cylinder, a rotor having a plurality of reflecting surfaces thereon, means supporting said rotor wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the moving web is located and substantially within its lateral conflnes with the axis of the said rotor substantially parallel to the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located and at right angles to the direction of travel of the web, means operably connecting the printing machine and the rotor for rotating the rotor in timed relation to the rotation of the printing machine cylinders, the rotor being so constructed and so spaced with respect to the viewed portion of the web that the said reflecting surfaces continuously reflect to a fixed observation point the images of the impressions during the movement of the said impressions along an observable path of travel of length at least equal to one half the circumference of the smallest form cylinder, and separate means to accelerate and decelerate the rotary movement of the said rotor relative to the movement of the web to adjust its position relative to the impressions on the web to reflect images of other impressions on the moving web to g the said observation point.

9. Means for viewing the registration of a plurality of printed impressions on a running web in a printing machine, including a rotor having reflecting surfaces thereon, spaced tracks positioned above and extending transversely of the running web, a support for said rotor movable along the tracks transversely of the running web, a telescope carried by said support, and means to rotate said rotor in synchronous relation with the moving web so that images of portions of the printed impressions are reflected by the rotor directly to the telescope for observation. said rotor rotating means including a generator driven by a rotating element of the printing machine, and a self synchronous motor operably connected with said rotor and electrically connected with the generator.

10. In combination, a plurality of printing couples arranged to print successive impressions on a wide moving web, means positioned wholly at one side of the plane in which the viewed portion of the web is located for continuously viewing the registering relation of the said impressions during their movement along a relatively long observable path, the said viewing means including a rotor rotatable about an axis disposed substantially parallel to the plane in which the observed portion of the web is moving and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the web and having reflecting surfaces thereon, tracks positioned adjacent to and disposed parallel to the plane in which the observed portion of the web is moving and extendingtransversely of the web, a carriage operably supporting the rotor and mounted for movement along the tracks transversely of the said moving web. a telescope disposed in viewing relation to the refleeting surfaces and supported on a bracket extending from said carriage, means to rotate said rotor in synchronous relation with the movement of the impressions on the moving web so that images of the said moving impressions are reflected by the moving reflecting surfaces directly to the telescope for observation.

ALBERT J. HORTON. 

